Enclosed electroplating tank



April 13, 1948. C? Scl-FFL V2,439,491

ENCLOSED E ILECTROPLATING TANK Filed June 2, V1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 IYI- y 19 B l H IMU!" im H/ if f`D Lllrnlw J1' INVENTOR.

ATICIFQEY 'Apri113,1948. 9 ..SH|'FFL 2,439,491

ENCLOSED ELEcTRoPLA-T1NG TANK Filed June 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2ATTUFQNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNITED- saTATEs PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates in' general to electroplating apparatus and moreAparticularly to a. tank for holding the electrolyte and to the structureand the mounting in the tank of anodes and cathodes.

In electroplating operations, and especially when chromium platingisbeing done, vapors and fumes rise from the electrolyte in the tank,which are unpleasant and detrimental to thehealth of operators and alsovcontain appreciable quantities of the electrolytic solution. Ventilatingsystems have been utilized to carry off the vapors and fumes and therebyto reduce the possibility of physical injury to the personsin thevicinity of the tank. However, these systems in removing the vaporsthereby steadily carry off small quantities of theelectrolyte, whichdeleteriously affects the plating operation and requires frequentreplenishment with consequent addition to the cost of the electroplatingoperations. Also, the known Ventilating systems deleteriously affect theplating operations in other ways, for example, by excessively reducingthe temperature of the electrolyte or by promoting corrosioniof theelectrode supports.

Therefore, one object of my invention is to provide a novel and improvedVentilating system for electroplating apparatus whereby fumes or gasesshall be prevented from escaping into the room in which the`electroplating operation is being conducted, removal of liquid from theelectrolyte by the ventilation shall be reduced to the minimum, andI theventilation shall not deleteriously affect the electroplating operationin any manner.

Other objects, advantages and results. of the invention will appear fromthe following. description in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsin which Figure 1 is a top plan View of an electroplating tank embodyingmy invention-with-the cover broken away for clearness in illustration.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 2 2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged verticalsectional view on the line3-3 ofV Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar View on the line 4-4 ef Figure l.

Figure'5- is a detached perspective view of the anodes and anodesupport.

Figure 6` is an enlargedA transverse sectional view through the coverofthe tank.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of the cover on the scale shown inFigure 2, and

Figure 8 isa longitudinal vertical sectional- View on a similar scalethrough the cover taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 6.

Specifically describing the invention, the tank includes a container Afor electrolyte B, which preferably has a glass lining C and is open atits top.` The container is enclosed within a heat insulated, housing!)which provides between two side walls andthe. sidewalls off thecontainer, a chamber E. for hotpwat'er or` other heating liquid whichmay be circulated, through vthe chamber by suitable piping which, isconnected to a source of steamer hot water by a supply pipe G.

The container and its housing D are enclosed within an outer casing H sothatall walls` of the casing are in spaced relation to the correspondingwalls. of the housing D. `The top wall of the casing H has an opening Ifor access. to the container, said` opening being` normally closed by acover I. which-is hingedlyn connected` at 2 to swing on a. horizontalaxis. above the top of the tank. The hinged connection is shown, ascomprising hinge brackets 2aA secured to the-top ofthe casing, oneadjacent each end of the cover Lwhich. are pivotally connected to hingearms 2b on the cover bya hinge rod 2C. The coverhasa top wall 3, sidewalls 4, endwalls` 5.and a partition Si beneath the top wall. whichhasportions 'I above and converging downwardly towardthe topY of the elec-`trolyteV container and meeting, each` other intermediate said side-wallsabove the liquid in said container when the cover is closed. With` thisconstruction, any moisture that rises from the electrolyte will impingeupon the underside of the converging portions 'I` of the partition 6,and if said partitionis cooler than the moisture, the latter willcondense. on the. partition` :and run downwardly toward the longitudinalcenter thereof and then drip, into the container;`

The side walls 4, ofthe cover have Derforations 8 above the` partition6,. and said partition has perforations` 9 closely` adjacent the meetingline of said. portions 'I.. To the casing is connected a suitablesuction pump, as by a suction. pipe IEB, so that whenthepump isoperating and the cover I is closed, currentsof air willbe drawninwardly throughthe perforations. 8 over the` upper side of thepartition, 5,. thence downwardly through the perforations 9,transversely. of` the open top of the container A and thence downwardlythrough the spaces between the Walls of the casing` I-I and thecorresponding walls of the housing D. These currents` of air will coolthe partition 6` and will carry oi some of the gases that rise from `theelectrolyte during electroplating operations so that such gases cannotescape from the tank into the room in which the tank isl located.

A drip flange I I is secured to the inside of the cover I and extendslongitudinally of the cover approximately parallel to the axis of thehinge 2 so that the flange will be disposed over the open top of thecontainer when the cover is both opened andy closed. when the cover ispartially open for example, duringinsertion and removal of the-articlesbeing'plated, any l-iquid'colleted on the partition 6 will run along thepar- 3 tition clown the side wall of the cover, onto the flange II fromwhere it will drip into the container.

With this construction, it will be observed that some of the gases thatInight be injurious to the health of persons working in the vicinity ofthe tank will be carried off by the Ventilating appa-l ratusand loss ofliquid from the electrolyte will be reduced by condensation of some ofthe moisture in the gases on the partition -6 and the return thereof tothe electrolyte container.

The tank has mounted therein a plurality of flat anode plates I2. Asshown, there are-twosets of anode plates and the plates of each set aresecured as by welding to a bar I3. These bars are separably mounted asby screw and slot connections I4 on two opposite parallel side pieces I5of an annular or rectangular conductor and support K. Preferablyallportions of the support electrolyte as shown in Figure `2. The conductorand support K may be connected in an electric circuit through a buss barI 8.

A cathode conductor and support I 9 is mounted on and extends across theanode support K, being mounted in seats 20 of insulating material thatare secured on the anode support. From this cathode support bar I'llimaybe suspended article hanging racks 2I or articles themselves to beplated. Suitable article holding racks are described and claimed in mycopending application Serial No. 445,424, filed June 2, 1942, nowabandoned.

With my invention, there is aminimum of corrosion of the electrodes andtheir mountings, thesebeing maintained substantially dry by thecondensation of the vapors from the electrolyte on the partition 6 andby the air currents passing over the electrodes and the mountingsthereof. Moreover, the ventilation has a minimum tendency to reduce thetemperature of the electrolyte. due to the path of the air currentsalong the walls of the insulated housing D which are between. the aircurrents and the electrolyte container.

While I haveshown and described the new preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that many modifications and changes maybe made in the details of structure without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention. f

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An electroplating tank comprising a cnn.- tainer for an electrolytehaving an open top, a casing completely enclosing said container andhaving a top wall provided with an opening above said container foraccess to the latter, a remov-y able cover for said opening having top,side and end walls and a partitlonbeneath said top wall of the coverformed withportions extending from the side walls that convergedownwardly toward and meet above the open top of the container so thatmoisture rising from the electrolyte in said container will impinge onsaid converging portions, perforations in said converging portions 4closely adjacent the meeting line of said portions and perforations inthe side walls of said cover above said partition, and means for drawingair through said perforations and transversely of the open top of saidcontainer for cooling said converging portions to cause condensation ofmoisture thereon and to withdraw some of the gases that rise from saidelectrolyte.

2. The electroplating tank set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover ishingedly mounted to swing about a horizontal aXis above the open top ofsaid container, and with the addition of a drip ange on the inside ofsaid cover adjacent and approximately parallel with the hinged sidethereof, whereby when the cover is partially opened liquid on theunderside of said partition will run downwardly thereover onto saidllange and then drip into said container.

3. An electrolytic apparatus-comprising a con'- tainer for electrolytehaving an open top and wherein relatively warmmoisture and gases areformed during operation of the apparatus, a casing completely enclosingsaid container with spaces between said container'and said casing,

said casing having a top wall provided with an opening above saidcontainer for access to the latter, a removable cover for said openinghaving top, side and end walls and a partition beneath said top wall ofthe cover formed with portions extending inwardly from the side wallsthat conn verge downwardly toward and meet above the open top of thecontainer so that moisture rising from the electrolyte in said containerwill impinge on said converging portions, perforations in saidconverging portions closely adjacent the meeting line of said portionsand perforations in said side walls of said cover above said partition,and means for drawing air through said perforations and transversely ofthe open top of said container above said electrolyte anddownwardlythrough the spaces between said container and said casing and out of thecasing, whereby said converging portions will be cooled so that some ofthe moisture rising from said electrolyte will condense on said portionsvand drip into the container while at the same time some of the gasesthat rise from the electrolyte will be withdrawn.

' CHARLES SCHIFFL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 692,597 BaumFeb. 4, 1902 1,008,383 Sparre Nov. 14, 1911 1,057,788 Walker Apr. 1,1913 1,144,271 Weber June 22, 1915 1,243,384 Christman Oct. 16, 19171,344,030 Greenwalt June 22, 1920 1,435,671 Stewart Nov. 14, 1922V1,444,787 Greenawalt Feb. 13, 1923 1,545,352 Rodriguez July 7, 19251,664,482 Pfanhauser Apr.l3, 1928 1,723,480 Hannon ,Aug. 6, 19291,857,903 Wensley May 10, 1932 1,917,657 MacChesney July 11, 19332,110,991 Gabrielson Mar. 15, 1938 2,111,377 Wales Mar. 15,1933

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Y Country Date 493,223 y Germany Mar. 11, 1930

